The days when things don't go as planned are when golf becomes deeper

Rain and wind cultivate adaptability

On days when things don't go as planned, you can sometimes see your own golf game more clearly.
Rainy and windy days might be a bit tough, but they may also be the days that cultivate important sensibilities.

A morning holding a club while holding an umbrella

A course on a morning with scattered rain.

The sky is white and low, and the grass is wet and glistening.
The sound of raindrops hitting the vinyl of the umbrella echoes pitter-patter across the quiet course.

The sensation of your shoes sinking into the grass more than usual.
The gentle dampness seeping into the inside of your glove.

"It wasn't a sunny day, was it?"

There are moments when your shoulders slump a little like that.

When I first started playing golf, I was really bad at playing in the rain.

The ball doesn't travel as far.
The umbrella is in the way.
The greens are heavy.
My hands gripping the club feel somehow unsettled.

"Maybe I didn't have to go out of my way to come on a day like this."

I remember heading to the tee ground while thinking things like that.

If you also feel that you are not good at playing golf in the rain and wind,
I think that is very natural.

"Things not going as planned" is the real deal

It's sunny, there's no wind, and the temperature is just right.

On days like that, golf feels very pleasant.
But when you go out on the course, such conditions don't always continue.

If the wind blows, you might need a club one size larger than usual.

If the greens become heavy due to rain, you need to hit them a little more firmly than usual.

If the grass is wet and the ground is soft, even a slight duff can cause a significant drop in distance.

The course always has "unexpected" things in store.

The driving range stalls are flat, and the mats are the same.
You can set up the same way every time.

But on the course, conditions keep changing, to the point where you could say no two situations are ever the same.

That is precisely why I believe a round on a rainy or windy day is a time that cultivates your ability to adapt.

The thing I was worst at myself

Let me talk a little about myself.

For a long time, I was the type of person whose spirit would weaken on rainy or windy days.

"The conditions are bad today, so it can't be helped."

Thinking that way, I would become sloppier than usual.

I would skip my routine or cut corners on my practice swings.

Perhaps somewhere in my heart, I had already decided that it was "a day I wouldn't be able to hit well anyway."

What changed my perspective was the words of a senior golfer.

"You can't know your true strength if you can only hit well under good conditions.
When you look at how someone moves on a day when things fall apart, you can see their true golf."

After hearing those words, I started looking back at myself on rainy days.

What I realized then was that I wasn't adapting to the poor conditions, but rather using them as an excuse.

A story about a student who changed on a rainy day

A similar thing happened with a male student in his 40s.

He had been playing golf for about two years. On sunny days, he would get scores that looked like he might break 100, but on rainy or windy days, he would fall apart to nearly 120.

He was struggling with that concern.

When we played a round together on a rainy day, there was one thing that bothered me.
On the wet grass, he was hitting slightly behind the ball before making impact.

On sunny days or at the driving range, it doesn't look like such a big mistake.
But when the ground gets soft, water and grass get caught in the face first, causing the distance to drop drastically.

Your distance drops.
You get impatient.
You tense up.
Then you make a different mistake.

It looked exactly like you were caught in a negative loop.
So, as a first-aid measure, I told you this.

"If you are a right-handed player, try placing the ball one ball-width further toward your right foot than usual. Take one more club, and you don't need to force yourself to hit it far."

As a result, you were able to finish the round without your score falling apart.

Of course, that was just a temporary fix for that day.

But thanks to that rainy day, we were able to notice a scooping motion that is usually hard to see.

As we gradually adjusted that in later lessons, changes started to appear in your shots on sunny days as well.

I was very happy when that student later told me,
"I'm not as afraid of rainy days as I used to be."
I was very happy.

Today's words: 'Rain and wind cultivate adaptability.'

A rainy day is not a bad day.
It is also a day that gently shows you things that were hidden on sunny days.

If you can't get the distance, change your club.
If the green is slow, hit it a little harder.

If there is wind, choose a low shot.
If the grass is wet, don't try to force a clean lift.

Each of those decisions cultivates your adaptability.

The days when things don't go as planned might be when you are getting closer to the essence of golf.

It is precisely because conditions are poor that you develop the power to think.
That power quietly pays off in your play on sunny days as well.

Please try just one thing starting today.

Next time you play a round on a rainy or windy day, please try just one thing.

"What can I enjoy today?"
Try thinking that way.

The usual distance.
The usual score.
The usual feeling.

Try setting those aside for once.

Try choosing your clubs and targets to match today's wind, today's rain, and today's grass.

Of course, there are days when things don't go well.

But I believe that's not to blame your own shortcomings, but to show you the areas that can be improved.

It's okay if you can't handle everything perfectly.

Instead of walking around with a gloomy face thinking, 'Today is the worst,' if you can think, 'What can I do under these conditions?', golf becomes a little more fun just by that.

Knowing that the grass is most beautiful after the rain

By the time the round ends, the rain stops and the sky brightens.

There is a moment when the wet grass reflects the light and looks more vivid than usual.

Folding your umbrella, taking off your slightly damp gloves, and that feeling of being able to say, 'I did my best today.'

A body that has overcome days when things didn't go as planned is a little stronger just for that.

Golf on a rainy day teaches you a little more than on a sunny day.

How do you feel on the course on a rainy or windy day?

If you'd like, please let me know in the comments.